When we were in the apartment complex about five miles away, we had one that was a resident at the corner of the manmade pond about 30 yards from our bedroom window. I loved watching it fish. Every now and again, another, smaller heron would come by and fish as well.
When I finally came home after living here and there, all kinds of changes in 30 years.
Staying with my parents for a few weeks I got up, looked out the window and saw on the end of our dock two kids in hoodies just sitting there, tide was coming in and I went to tell my parents that these kids were in danger, the dock was old and not safe.
To my surprise Mother went out the door and yelled at the kids, they--the kids then took off and headed up river. WTF were these things, Blue Herons that had come in about 20 years ago. Not just them but all kinds of foreign plants that grew from the poop of migrating birds and animals coming down from the North that no one had seen in 60+ years, Wolves and Bobcats, we even have Moose and Bear wandering into town. Fisher cats that few have ever seen before, Coyotes and then the black bears that were scavengers.
Small town on the coast 3,000+ that only had problems with Coy Dogs -- abandoned dogs that formed packs and ran the pregnant does down in the snow. These former pets were very dangerous as they had no fear of humans and were hungry.
Back to these Herons, it was a few years later when Kayaking on the banks looking for Loon nests to report for protection, we came up on a Heron but did not see it on the bank. We must have spooked the bird as out of the woods came this thing, huge and with a wing span of perhaps 6-8 feet and a body larger then a 25 pound turkey, flew over us so low we had to duck down.
We got the heck out of there as we scanned the tops of the trees where they nest. This bird if protecting its nest could attack us and over turn our Kayaks.
Awesome birds, the largest bird I had ever seen was a 20 pound turkey in the oven roasting for a family reunion.
